i agree about not using evoo in everything. like elfie said, i don't always want the olive oil taste in the dish. i use bertolli extra light olive oil for frying/sauteeing because of it's higher smoking point. you could put butter into evoo to raise the smoking point too, but that also adds fat and cholesterol, a no-no in my house these days...

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Spring is finally here! I got so excited that I wet my plants...

I buy Trader Joe's label EVOO and use it routinely, adding butter usually. I also do not use EVOO in everything, especially sweets, but always savory foods. I have vegetable oil on hand but do not often use it. I never use canola as it has been tied to macular degeneration and I do not need to worry about that.

i agree about not using evoo in everything. like elfie said, i don't always want the olive oil taste in the dish. i use bertolli extra light olive oil for frying/sauteeing because of it's higher smoking point. you could put butter into evoo to raise the smoking point too, but that also adds fat and cholesterol, a no-no in my house these days...

Butter has a much lower smoke point than olive oil. You add oil (of any kind) to butter to raise butter's smoke point.

I I'm thinking about making bottles of olive oil infused with hot peppers, herbs, etc. Any idears?

Infusing oil with FRESH herbs, garlic, peppers, etc. is ok if you keep the infused oil refrigerated and use it w/in 10 days to 2 weeks. Otherwise, it's an environment ripe for Botulism. It's NOT a long term thing.

Also, if you're going to infuse oil with say, rosemary and ancho chilis, make sure that the rosemary and chilis are completely submerged in the oil at all times. If any part of the herb or food item is sticking up out of the oil, that is the part where the bacteria will grow.

i agree about not using evoo in everything. like elfie said, i don't always want the olive oil taste in the dish. i use bertolli extra light olive oil for frying/sauteeing because of it's higher smoking point. you could put butter into evoo to raise the smoking point too, but that also adds fat and cholesterol, a no-no in my house these days...

Butter has a much lower smoke point than olive oil. You add oil (of any kind) to butter to raise butter's smoke point.

Location: Cicero, IL, but my heart is in Virginia where my family lives.

Posts: 417

One of my favorite olive oils is made by Isola Imports and is called "My Brothers Oil". It is an unfiltered oil with great taste and not to bitter and reasonably priced. The Isola web site offers several other very nice olive oils form all over Italy. Go to http://www.isolaimports.com.

bryan

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Bryan Knox
What if the the Hokey Pokey IS what it is all about?

If I cooked for a large family all the time I'd have a great variety of oils of all types. But I don't . I do have EVOO and I like to try different regions. Right now I have a Turkish one, Lio. A good basic Italian one is from Cento. I also have peanut and canola (grape seed) as it's a monosaturate like olive oil. Will check with my eye doc about that link to mac-deg.

For dipping I like to float a slice of garlic and a pool of balsamic vinegar in the bowl. not only yummy, but pretty too. I have a chef buddy in Spain who says what Americans get as EVOO is not the prime. Oil like beef and whisky has many intermediate grades. lol

Location: Cicero, IL, but my heart is in Virginia where my family lives.

Posts: 417

Robo410, ask your chef buddy in Spain about Italian EVOO or Italian olive oil in general. I was advised by a fairly reliable source in Spain that most of Italy's olive oil comes from Spanish olives exported to Italy. It would be nice to have someone back that up.

I know Spain grows a lot of olives and grapes among other things but I was a little surprised that Italian make Italian olive oil out of Spanish olives. Wouldn't it really be Spanish Olive Oil since it is a raw product and not part of a recipe.

Bryan

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Bryan Knox
What if the the Hokey Pokey IS what it is all about?